How Advice From Garrett Richards Changed Chris Sale’s Outlook On Tommy John Rehab

Garrett Richards isn’t just an elite hitter, he’s elite at giving advice, too.

OK, the first part was hyperbolic. The second part is true though.

As has been well-documented, Chris Sale is not the most patient person on the planet. He has a tendency to want to go full-tilt with everything, even when it might not be the most shrewd decision, like throwing gas too early in spring training.

So, you could understand why the year-plus rehab process that comes with Tommy John surgery could be a nightmare for the Boston Red Sox ace.

Richards has been there, undergoing TJ in July 2018. And when Richards noticed Sale getting down on himself in spring training, he decided to step in.

“I was getting down, I’m just throwing 60 feet, and people are giving me knuckles. I threw a ball my son could catch. Actually, my son is throwing harder than me right now,” Sale told The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.

“(Richards) was like, ‘Man, you’ve got to look at that like a start. You go out there, throw eight innings, punch out 10 and give up one run, that’s a big day. This is now your eight innings right here. This is your success. You’ve got to have that same feeling with this.'”

Now, Sale is inching closer and closer to a return. He has to continue to be patient, but he’s still on track to return later this summer after going under the knife back in late March 2020.

And if he needs any more pointers, it sounds like Richards would be more than happy to give them.